The Berrien County Health Department is telling everyone about the services offered at its Sexual Health Clinic during this Sexual Health Awareness Month. Department Medical Director Rex Cabaltica tells us the clinic has locations in Benton Harbor and Niles and offers everything from STI testing and treatment to exams to birth control. He says not many people know about the clinic.
“Even area doctors sometimes are not aware that if their patients are having issues and they can’t get them in, then they can have the patients call the Berrien County Health Department,” Cabaltica said. “We can do either walk-ins on Wednesdays from 1 to 4, or appointments on Mondays and Thursdays between 9 and 4.”
Cabaltica says diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis have been on the rise in Berrien County for the last few years. He says it’s not clear why, but one way to help prevent the illnesses is through communication.
“It’s very difficult to try to get control of the spread of these diseases if the partners are not talking to each other. More often than not, unfortunately, it’s the males, it’s the men, who will not tell their partners.”
Cabaltica says parents should also talk to their teens about sexually transmitted diseases. He strongly encourages anyone who suspects they may have an STI or who has multiple partners to get tested, noting some illnesses can have no symptoms at first. You can find out more right here.
